1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to construction estimation using a computer or similar processing device for graphically depicting the topology of the target structure. More particularly, this invention relates to modeling and estimating construction attributes such as requisite material and labor using a graphical human interface for entering and modeling the target structure floor plan and related parameters.
2. Present State of the Art
The art of estimation has been performed for generations using basic accounting techniques. For example, estimation for construction related transactions such as building and remodeling have traditionally been performed through a manual process of partitioning such tasks into a series of entities such as rooms and then generating a comprehensive list of requirements for each of the rooms. For example, in estimating the remodeling of a kitchen, an estimator performs lineal measurements to determine the quantity of items such as cabinets, sheetrock, studding, paint, etc. Generation of such a list requires the estimator to physically perform liner measurements on each of the wall segments and further perform multiplicative operations to determine the square footage associated therewith.
While such a list-mode operation for estimating is reasonably simplistic for rectangularly shaped cubical rooms, when rooms or chambers exhibit more complex dimensions such as those associated with room offsets, bay windows, and missing wall segments, manual estimation becomes increasingly more complex and subject to error resulting in either an inefficient allocation of resources or an imprecise estimation of the proposed task. Furthermore, computerized list-mode type estimating products present a cumbersome interface through which a user must define the target room or chamber undergoing estimation using cryptic and non-intuitive definitions. That is to say, in such automated programs, the estimator must individually denote and add each entry, specifying each wall segment and relationships or angles between adjacent wall segments. Such a wall-element-by-wall-element listing presents frequent opportunity for user error and, for complicated geometries such as those having missing wall segments or other custom features, requires an estimator to utilize more sophisticated and cumbersome definitional rules to result in an acceptably accurate estimation of the target room or chamber. Such sophisticated dialogue with list-mode type estimation programs present a non-trivial and non-intuitive learning curve for estimators.
Graphical-mode type estimation presents a more intuitive format through which an estimator defines or describes a target room or chamber undergoing estimation. Graphical entry type estimators heretofore have employed a line-centric approach for defining a target room undergoing estimation. For example, an estimator defines a line segment designating a specific wall followed by a subsequent line segment associated with the prior line segment forming yet a second wall and continues such a process until a series of defined line segments represent the target room undergoing estimation. Problems arise in such a line-centric approach in determining when a particular room undergoing estimation comes into xe2x80x9cexistence.xe2x80x9d That is to say, when does a series of line segments form a closure giving rise to an entity for estimation. Additional uncertainties arise when a particular room or chamber undergoing estimation is comprised of missing line segments such as in the case of a first room xe2x80x9copeningxe2x80x9d into yet a second room. Furthermore, additional complications arise in associating other attributes to the aforedefined series of line segments. For example, associating a vertical height dimension of the wall with the line segments representing a linear horizontal dimension of the wall requires an estimator to perform additional definitional steps linking such attributes together.
FIG. 1 depicts a prior art sketch of a line-centric approach for defining a remodel area 10. As depicted in FIG. 1, remodel area 10 is comprised of a first room 12 and a second room 28. Room 12 is comprised of a series of line segments, line segments 14-26, forming first room 12 and line segments 30-38 forming second room 28.
Prior implementations of graphical interface programs for estimating chambers, such as rooms of structures, frequently employed shading (cross-hatching as shown in FIG. 1) or other designating techniques for partitioning a group of interconnected line segments into separable chambers or rooms. Such a process requires additional steps by the estimator in first selecting the parameter of a closed body and thereafter further partitioning their closed body using shading or other techniques for designating a yet smaller portion of the overall enclosed body.
It should further be pointed out that prior art implementations of graphical estimators heretofore have only operated on a two-dimensional rendition of a target chamber or room undergoing estimation. That is to say the line-centric graphical approach depicted in FIG. 1 only depicts attributes consistent with the present two-dimension view generated by the estimator. This approach does not include other attributes such as those consistent with the vertical walls associated with the line segments or a ceiling associated with the room undergoing estimation when the perceivable view, as depicted in FIG. 1, represents the floor plan of the closed body undergoing estimation.
Therefore, significant problems exist in utilizing a nongraphical or list-mode program for estimating specific parameters of a chamber or room due to the non-intuitive nature of assembling the definition of a specific chamber or room, and furthermore, such shortcomings are exacerbated when the chamber or room undergoing estimation assumes non-cubical features or incorporates absent features such as missing wall segments as is characteristic of a first room opening into a second room. Additionally, graphical estimating programs heretofore have used a line-centric approach of concatenating a series of line segments eventually closing to form a closed two-dimensional body forming a single xe2x80x9centityxe2x80x9d from which an estimation may be made. Additionally, graphical line-centric estimation programs have required additional steps by the estimator or user to specify and define portions of the closed body as a separate calculable entity and have not facilitated the assumption of attributes nor have they provided an estimator with a three-dimensional definition of the room or chamber undergoing estimation.
For these and other reasons, it appears that there exists no present modeling or estimation technique providing both a graphical and intuitive interface for an estimator to define a chamber or room undergoing estimation and derive attributes of the entire room, floors, ceilings and walls both existing and missing, directly from the definitional rendering of the target chamber or room. Furthermore, there does not currently exist a modeling technique for defining a room or chamber as a three-dimensional entity having attributes assigned to each of the facets of the room thereby facilitating the estimation of requisite components such as material and labor associated with each of the facets of the room or chamber.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for modeling a chamber to enable estimation of chamber attributes for each of the facets or planes associated with the chamber undergoing estimation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for hierarchically associating a first chamber having attributes for each of the facets or planes associated therewith, with a second chamber also having a plurality of facets or planes associated therewith.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for graphically estimating attributes of a room through a user interface capable of intuitively sizing a graphical representation or model of the room or chamber undergoing estimation to provide a graphical approximation of the chamber or room undergoing estimation and associating attributes with the facets or planes of the model.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a graphical method for estimating construction related material and labor requirements for a room within a structure thereby enabling an estimator to intuitively depict the room undergoing estimation and derive attributes associated with the plurality of facets or planes associated with the room undergoing estimation and generate the requirements associated with the room undergoing estimation.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a computer-readable medium capable of performing the aforementioned objects of the invention of modeling and facilitating the estimation of a chamber or room having attributes assigned to each facet or plane comprising the chamber or room undergoing estimation and therefrom derive estimation requirements for the modeled chamber or room.
The present invention embodies within its scope both methods and systems for modeling a chamber or room, such as a room in a structure, wherein the chamber is comprised of a plurality of facets or planes forming facets such as a floor, walls and a ceiling. The present invention further embodies within its scope both a method and system for estimating, from the modeled chamber or room, requirements such as building materials and associated labor for use in bidding or acquiring materials associated with the construction or remodeling of a structure embodying the modeled room or chamber.
In the present invention, a chamber or room is graphically modeled by an estimator utilizing an estimation program having a graphical interface. Estimators intuitively sketch or create an estimate for a structure by partitioning a structure into entities (e.g., rooms or chambers) and associating estimates relating to those entities thereto. Estimators intuitively perceive the room as a three-dimensional entity but have heretofor been required to perform multiple steps to actually acquire-useful information from graphical sketches. In the present invention, an estimator selects a default entity from a graphical tool kit in the estimation program of the present invention and places the entity (e.g., default room element) onto a grid for massaging is and modifying until the entity assumes a sufficient approximation of the structure entity (e.g., room) undergoing estimation.
The default entity utilized by the estimator for stretching and contorting into the desired room-representative state is inherently defined by the estimation program to be a volumetric entity having spatial definitions and attributes in all three dimensions, consistent with the actual estimation characteristics of structures. In the present invention, the default entity is a polyhedron which, by definition, is a series of planes forming a closed volume. Some of the more simplistic polyhedrons are cubes and pyramids comprised respectively of six and four or five planes, while more complex polyhedrons may be comprised of dozens of planes or facets. In the present invention, an estimation polyhedron is modified or morphed by an estimator until it adequately models the room or chamber undergoing estimation. The morphing process that the estimation polyhedron is subjected to, continuously revises and maintains the integrity of the volumetric entity or polyhedron. That is to say, any planes or polygons affected by the stretching or introduction of additional planes into the estimation polyhedron, triggers a recalculation of the attributes (e.g., surface areas and vertices) of the affected and new planes of the estimation polyhedron.
The present invention further enables an estimator to assign descriptive attributes to various planes of the estimation polyhedron that introduce additional checks and verifications by the estimation program. For example, in estimations of residential inhabitable structures, a floor or surface plane is common upon which individuals may stand. By assigning to a plane of the estimation polyhedron the attribute of xe2x80x9cfloor,xe2x80x9d estimation requests by the estimator for the requisite amount of flooring required for the entity undergoing estimation yields the area of the plane or polygon assigned the attributes of xe2x80x9cfloor.xe2x80x9d Likewise, a query for an estimate by the estimator of the amount of conventional wallboard required to finish a room defined using the model of the present invention, would yield the surface areas of the planes or polygons of the polyhedron having the assigned attributes of xe2x80x9cwallsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cceiling.xe2x80x9d
Additional attributes stored by the polyhedron may include an updated area calculation for each of the polygons forming the planes that define the estimation polyhedron, and may further include an accurate calculation of the volume encompassed by the estimation polyhedron. Additional attributes may also include defining shared polygons between adjacent estimation polyhedrons to assume the attribute of a hidden wall thereby precluding the inclusion of the missing wall segment in the calculations of estimates for material and labor associated therewith.
Once the estimator has sufficiently modified the estimation polyhedron to be adequately representative of the room undergoing estimation, estimation queries may be posed to the room model. For example, the estimator may request an estimate for painting the room or chamber. The query is placed to the model and the model extracts from the attributes of the model those planes requiring paint (e.g., walls and ceilings but not floors) and the square footage associated therewith. The query may simply return the number of square feet requiring the requested process or more sophisticated query requests may consult a material and services list to determine a cost of labor for the corresponding amount of square footage and additionally, the amount and price of paint required to perform the process. Likewise, estimation of other materials and services may be queried such as required flooring amounts and labor as well as heating and cooling requirements for the volume enclosed by the estimation polyhedron.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.